Florence Fights Overturn of Airbnb Ban

 

A view of Florence

The new mayor of Florence plans to fight a decision from Tuscany’s regional court last week that overturned the city’s ban from last fall on new short-term rental properties in the historic center.

Sara Funaro, elected Florence’s mayor in June, has announced that her council will move quickly in the coming days to approve a resolution due to the situation’s urgency. Since the ban’s overturning on July 10, the interest in opening short-term rentals has jumped drastically. La Nazione has reported that in the days following the ruling, the number of applications — over 3,000 — to open new B&B properties in the city center rose by almost 10%.

The Tribunali Amministrativi Regionali (TAR) court of Tuscany ruled that the ban was inadmissible because it was introduced as an amendment to the city’s existing urban planning rather than as a separate resolution.The decision came two months after its originally planned release in May.

Funaro described the court as being “indifferent in regards to the overtourism problems that afflict cities of art like Florence” in response to the ruling. Recent data from Federalberghi has shown that Tuscany has the highest number of apartments that are Airbnb rentals out of all 20 Italian regions, for a total of 59,058 properties.

Funaro stated that Florence must not become a city for tourists, but remain “above all, for Florentines.”

The administration of Dario Nardella, Florence’s former mayor, enacted the freeze of applications for new short-term rental properties in October 2023 in an attempt to stem an unprecedented number that have opened in Florence’s city center, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The decision faced opposition from some property owners in the area, who believed that the ban was an infringement on their personal business interests.

The proliferation of short-term rentals in Florence on platforms such as Airbnb, which cater to tourists, has resulted in skyrocketing housing prices for local residents. The ensuing housing crisis has prompted a call for affordable rent prices, including widespread protests from local students who have been displaced due to housing costs.

Nardella has affirmed his support for Funaro’s goal to maintain the ban. “Mayor Sara Funaro is right to continue on the path begun by the last administration,” he said. “We will be at her side.” (Tara Monastesse)